News
Netanyahu says French diplomatic initiative encourages Palestinian intransigence
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday said that a diplomatic initiative proposed by France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius would simply hand the Palestinian leadership an incentive not to compromise.
Fabius announced over the weekend, that the French government “will engage in the coming weeks in the preparation of an international conference” in order “to preserve and bring about the two-state solution.” Fabius said that such a conference would include the United States, European and Arab countries. Fabius proposed a similar peace conference in December 2014, saying that the status quo is unacceptable and suggested a two-year timeframe in which to conclude a peace agreement. Crucially though, on this occasion he added that should the latest Paris initiative prove fruitless, “In that case, we will have to live up to our responsibilities and recognise a Palestinian state.”
Netanyahu responded yesterday, saying ahead of a cabinet meeting that Fabius’s proposal “will be an incentive for the Palestinians to come and not compromise.” He explained that ,“The substance of negotiations is compromise and the French initiative, as it has been reported, in effect gives the Palestinians in advance reasons not to do so,” in the knowledge that Paris will recognise a Palestinian state even if no progress is made.
Netanyahu reiterated that “our position is very clear: We are prepared to enter into direct negotiations without preconditions and without dictated conditions.” Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) were suspended in April 2014 after PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced a unity government with Hamas, which remains committed to Israel’s destruction. Since then, Netanyahu has repeatedly publicly emphasised that he is prepared to restart talks with Abbas at any point without any preconditions. Most recently, he told the World Economic Forum at Davos last month that he would be prepared to meet with Abbas, who maintains that Israel must comply with a number of conditions before further talks begin, including a West Bank construction freeze and a prisoner release.